Young Love
by Rafxsulfuslovestory
Summary: I will post here some Hiccstrid one shot I wrote after watching RTTE.
1. Good plan

_**Hi guys! After seeing the new season of RTTE, I've wanted to write some Hiccstrid for you! Hope you'll like it!**_

 _ **This is sequel of what could have happened between "Blindsided" and "Shell shock, part 1" in RTTE Season 4.**_

* * *

After sharing a mutual and passionate kiss, the two lovebirds got close to each other and Hiccup put his arm around Astrid' shoulder. She did the same with his waist by laying her head on him.

After a while, Hiccup broke the silence:

"So... that's what you want it to mean?" He asked by looking at her.

Astrid smiled and raised her head towards Hiccup's.

"I think that I could get used to it, yeah."

Their faces approached and their lips finally closed the distance between the two teenagers.

After that, Hiccup accompanied Astrid to her hut, holding her hand.

"It was good to be able to see you Hiccup. Thank you again for everything you've done for me."

"Don't worry Astrid, it's normal. I'm glad you recovered your sight."

"Yep, me too. I would be able to _look_ at you all day long again."

"Yeah... Huh what?! What did you just say? _Look_ at me all day long?"

Astrid laughed gently and approached Hiccup once more in order to kiss him. Then, she went back to her home, leaving a Hiccup confused.

Two weeks had passed since they kissed for the first time in a long time. They finally succeeded in training the Triple strike with rattling sound to the great pleasure of Hiccup. It was not easy but the most important part was that the dragon was by their side now. And it was a good thing considering the future battle they will have to lead against Viggo and his Project shellfire.

Hiccup was preparing a plan since his dad asked him to come back with one during midnight sun periode. It had been months that he and Astrid were working on it very hard and didn't really progress. Thanks to the twins, they had more informations about hunters' projects so that they could build a real plan, well constructed.

"And I thought that the A-team could join us too." Hiccup added.

"What about Heather and Dagur? They could surely help!" The blonde suggested.

"Yeah, sure! Good idea Astrid!"

They continued to discuss the plan during the whole evening. Hiccup ended in giving a look to the map of Viggo' shelter. He was pointing a specific site by saying Astrid that they should attack here first in order to get rid of some dragon hunters and to reach Viggo. Astrid suddenly stopped the boy by turning him to her.

"Hiccup, it's late. We shall continue tomorrow, okay?"

He sighed.

"Yeah. Sure."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Hiccup..."

"Well... We have two days left before showing the plan to my Dad and I feel that we..."

The Viking lady cut him off.

"Hiccup, it'll be fine. Don't worry. You've worked on it very hard and it's brillant. There are just some details to iron out but it's almost finished."

"Yeah I guess you're right Astrid but I think you forgot that this is _our_ plan. You helped me a lot actually..." He said by taking her hand and moved her closer to him.

They closed their eyes and kissed in the midnight full moon.

"See y'a tomorrow morning. Good night Hiccup."

"Good night."

She was going to go out of Hiccup's hut but he held her back.

"And Astrid..."

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

She smiled at him and went out. This girl was truly amazing thought the young man. And that's the reason he loved her so much.


	2. Hiccstrid or not Hiccstrid

_**Hey there! So here's the beginning of my Hiccstrid one shot's collection! I tell already: they will follow RTTE Season 4 and follow each other!**_

 _ **I hope you'll like this one though.**_

 _ **Enjoy some Hiccstrid fight! Thanks my friend Wolfie for make some reajustements!**_

 _ **Happy reading!**_

* * *

Weeks after the Grimborn brothers' death, the dragon riders were living peaceful days on Berk. They didn't leave the Dragon's Edge with pleasure, far from it, but the erupting volcano had not left them the choice. So it was more with regret that the gang was forced to leave their outpost where they have been through so much.

 _"Okay gang, take all you can save before the lava comes to your huts!" Hiccup ordered._

 _It was too late, the Edge was condemned. The Baby Eruptodon couldn't have held back what was coming anyway. The situation was under control._

 _The dragon riders had rushed inside their respective huts to get their personal effects. Snotlout was trying to pick up his 'S', the twins were wallowing on the boar pit while Fishlegs handled the collection of most books and maps containing Dragon Eye's information. As to Astrid, she moved to take the weapons she left in her hut._

 _And then there was Hiccup. The young boy had made his way to the Clubhouse to meditate, closely followed by Toothless. He examined the place, and then sighed. The night fury approached his friend and rubbed him in an affectionate embrace. He uttered a plaintive cooing. The auburn-haired boy stooped to his level by stroking his head._

 _"I'll miss this place too, Bud."_

 _He bounced back and then he moved to the table where the dragon riders and him used to meet up. Hiccup recalled with nostalgia the crazy talks the gang shared, Heather's great food and Tuffnut's compliments on it. But he also reminded himself of the gravest moments when the teenagers' mutual aid reached its peak like after the 'Viggo fiasco' for example. This place was full of memories. It was really a part of their life that came down on this island._

 _An important part._

 _The young man was now in front of the stables. A smile came to his face at the sight of it. That was where he and Astrid kissed for the first time as a couple. It was in this place that they finally confessed their true feelings for each other. It took time but Astrid's blindness pushed Hiccup to step outside his comfort zone. Thankfully, her state was temporary._

 _"Are you okay?" asked a voice behind him while placing a hand on his shoulder._

 _He turned back, it was Astrid, of course. He gave her a smile he wanted reassuring._

 _"Just trying to remember the great moments we've spent here all together…" he admitted in a sigh._

 _The night fury rubbed him affectionately. His friend petted his head while smiling._

 _"It's true that we had a lot of memories here," Astrid agreed, taking Hiccup's hand._

 _So the teenager moved in front of her and took her hands in turn. Their faces approached until their lips found themselves at only few centimetres from each other as their foreheads touched. They closed their eyes and both smiled before exchanging a tender kiss._

 _After that, they definitively left the Edge._

Since that, the teenagers got back to a routine life on Berk. They returned to the activities they left before adventuring to the _Great Beyond_ , months ago. Snotlout started testing the village's weapons again. Meanwhile the twins returned to their crazy activities that consisted of trapping villagers in the name of Loki. Concerning the others, Fishlegs was teaching Berk's history again to the youngest inhabitants of the island.

Hiccup got back to the same point he was before going to the _Great beyond_. He didn't really know what he wanted to do with his life. He would become chief eventually, for sure, but he didn't want his life to come down to this function. He wanted something else. He needed something else. Hiccup needed freedom and continuing the exploration of the world around him seemed to be a great option.

Regarding Astrid, she had gone back to her engagement in Berk's guard for the Academy where she was in charge now. She took care of the newest dragon riders' formation. The gang came time to time to help her with teamwork demonstrations or specific tactics' teaching.

"Stormfly, spine shot!" Astrid shouted.

The Deadly Nadder instantly obeyed her master who jumped off her back to perform a somersault before the young recruits' amazed eyes. She landed in front of them, standing upright, imperturbable.

"There you go. That's how you surprise your enemy."

She paused.

"A volunteer?"

No response was expected from her question, she did that only for the purpose of impressing them. They didn't have time to answer anyway because a voice rose above their heads.

"Sorry I'm late!" The dragon riders' leader apologized, landing in the arena with Toothless.

The blond smiled, looking at him.

"You're just in time, actually," she said, putting a hand on her waist.

Hiccup showed a puzzled smile.

"How can I help you, _milady_?" he finally asked.

She nodded on the side, pointing to the wild dragons captured earlier by the gang for the future dragon riders. He smiled to Astrid, understanding what she expected from him. So the young man approached the reptiles.

"When you want to tame a dragon, the first thing to do is to establish a bond with him. He has to trust you," Hiccup explained to the group.

He walked towards a Monstrous Nightmare and raised his hand slowly to his muzzle. The dragon grunted a little so the dragon riders' chief looked away while continuing what he was doing. Finally, he managed to put his hand on the reptile's head.

"If you succeed in creating this bond of trust with him, even the testiest dragons can be trained," he assured, stroking him.

"It's this bond I want you to work on today," Astrid smiled, kindly. "It's up to you now."

Hiccup was the one who had advised her on how to deal with the newest recruits. He was convinced that Astrid could teach them a lot but for that, she shouldn't scare them from the beginning. It was the reason why he had asked her to not be too hard with them from the outset. She could be more exigent then.

"What were you busy doin'?" the blond asked to her boyfriend.

He rolled his eyes while scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, you know. Making some adjustments on my work."

He paused before redirecting his attention to the young lady. He caught her by the hips and pulled up his hands along them to caress her waist.

"Why? Did you miss me?" he whispered in her ear.

"Actually… yes," she replied by turning to him.

They exchanged a smile before kissing without paying attention to the teenagers who were meeting the dragons. Nevertheless, their general fake cough finally got the new couple back to reality. They split, trying to recover the left of seriousness they had. Astrid cleared her throat before announcing:

"Fine, now that you got close to them, you must choose your dragon and he must choose you."

"How will we know if he chooses us?" asked one of the recruits.

The young Viking turned to her one-legged boyfriend, giving him a complicit gaze.

"He will try to kill you," she answered calmly.

"Eh… That's reassuring…" another intervened.

"Come on, let's go!" the Hofferson girl ordered.

She left a gentle kiss on the corner of the young boy's lips before going back to join the group. So Hiccup watched her walk away, smiling like a dork. Realizing he wasn't joining her, she came back to take his hand.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

The chief's son came to his senses gradually. Sometimes, it was kind of hard for him to read her correctly.

"Sure."

They set off with the young riders to accompany them to places more conductive to the apprenticeships they were proposing. Snotlout suddenly arrived on the back of Hookfang, taking care of greeting the two lovebirds:

"Wow, seems that _Hiccstrid_ is out!"

"Stop calling us that, Snotlout…"

"What? You're always together you two, aren't you? There's no Hiccup without Astrid since that… well, you know."

"So?" the blond inquired.

"Well, we ended up confusing you. So it's easier to call you _Hiccstrid_."

Astrid swore furiously. Hiccup put a hand on her shoulder and then, he addressed Snotlout.

"Okay, I think we get the point."

"Take it easy _Hiccstrid_ … It's just–"

"Snotlout, that's enough," Hiccup cut him off.

But the blond had already gone back to the group of newcomers.

"Good luck with that," the disturbing Viking laughed.

Hiccup sighed and he scurried to catch up with his girlfriend who was walking with purpose. When he came over to where she was standing, he put a hand on her shoulder again as an act of comfort.

"Hey, sure you'll be okay?" he asked, worried.

The young lady faked a smile before stopping.

"Yeah… Don't worry. And leave me with them, I can handle this alone."

"You're sure?"

So she nodded in agreement.

"Okay… So can we hang later?"

"Yeah. See you later, Hiccup."

So the blond left to meet the teens' group she was in charge of, leaving an astounded Hiccup. The young boy was having trouble figuring her out. He didn't understand why she seemed to attach so much importance to the Jorgenson's remark. But truth is, he never had paid the same attention as her to what others could think about them. As the heir to the throne of Berk, Hiccup Haddock the third had always been the focus of village's attention. After all this years of mockery –even if it was no longer relevant–, he had finally become indifferent to the light of others. This was the case for Astrid. Unlike Hiccup, she had always been placed on some kind of pedestal which gave her attributes of the ideal Viking; athletic and brave. It was because she was considered that, on her side, the girl worried about what others might think about her. Indeed, it bothered Astrid that being a couple with Hiccup defined her in the eyes of others. She didn't want them to be confused. Because yes, she was above all Fearless Astrid Hofferson, a warrior and a dragon rider. One thing's for sure, the teenagers didn't have the same perspective on things. Everything now turned on how they will solve this slight problem.

Hiccup watched Astrid walked away before telling Toothless to follow him. So he wandered into the village with his friend at his side until his feet led him to the forge.

"Hey Gobber!" the young boy exclaimed.

"Hiccup? Don't you have a class to teach or something?"

"Oh yeah but hum… I'm done so… I came to help out!" the brown-haired boy assured him.

His old employer squinted, not very convinced by the young man's words but he finally assigned him a task.

"Well, you can take care of the saddles in that area… Yeah, here. Some are already drawn while others just waiting to be cut! You think you can handle this?"

"No problem, Gobber, I'm on it," the chief's son smiled, arms full.

So he get to work quickly as if he wanted to forget his recent problems. The two men didn't say a word to one other for almost an hour before Gobber finally decided to break the silence.

"So… How was training?"

"I came in late…"

"Ouch… Astrid wasn't too angry?"

Hiccup giggled.

"Not even."

"It does work between you two uh?"

"Yeah, hum… I guess so…" the young boy mumbled.

But the blacksmith didn't pay attention to this last remark.

"Did you tell your father?"

 _My gods no!_ was Hiccup's first thought. Talking with his father had never been one of his favourite activities and particularly when it came to address issues of this kind. He stood dumbfounded before Gobber.

"Hum… Well, actually…"

"Hiccup…"

"What?"

"Hum, you know exactly what I'm talking about," answered the chief's right hand, squinting again.

"Yeah, yeah…" the young man sighed.

Gobber gave an insistent look to the teenager who replied by rolling his eyes. The blacksmith laughed heartily. This did not stop Hiccup from staying with his old instructor the rest of the day. Despite everything, these two liked to spend time together.

By evening, Hiccup went home. Astrid didn't come see him in the forge so he figured that she didn't want to see him for now. Once he crossed the threshold, he intended to go up right away to his room without eating, but it was without counting his best friend's dragonesque nature whose discretion was not the strongest point.

"Eh! Hiccup, you're back!" Stoick exclaimed.

"Hehe yeah, it seems like it…" he answered lamely, addressing a reproachful look in the direction of the night fury.

"Astrid came by the house earlier, she was looking for you," her father suddenly revealed.

The young man raised his head, surprised.

"And what did you…?"

"I said that I didn't know where you were cause… I didn't know where you were!"

"Eh…"

"She seemed upset. Did something happened between you two?"

"No… I mean, not really…"

"Are you hiding something from me, Hiccup?"

"What? No! Not at all…" he said by swallowing his spit with difficulty, embarrassed.

"Hum?" asked Stoick again with an insistent gaze.

The chief was becoming impatient so Hiccup lowered his head, defeated, resigning himself to tell him the truth.

"Okay…" the brown puffed.

He raised his head in the direction of his dad.

"Well, the point is that…"

"Yeah?" Stoick encouraged him.

The young boy took a deep breath.

"Okay, Astrid and I, we–"

Suddenly, the door opened to Gobber who rushed towards the chief of Berk.

"Stoick! There's one of Sven's uncles who's fighting with the Geirson son in the Great Hall and it's not a pretty sight! The village already took sides… You should better take a look, if you ask me."

"Thanks for telling me Gobber. You see what kind of conflict you'll soon be in charge of, Son?" Stoick rejoiced by addressing the one he already saw as his presumed successor. "We'll talk later, I'm going."

So he left in the direction of the Great Hall, leaving Gobber alone with Hiccup.

"So did you tell him?"

He abruptly turned his head towards the forger.

"Well, actually Gobber, I was about to. At least, before you came…"

"That's no big deal, you'll talk to him later! All right, I'll see you later, I better give him a hand!"

The dragon riders' chief watched Gobber walked away and he sighed. Toothless made a mocking coo to his friend who gave him the stink-eye.

"Fine, laugh at me! Let's go to bed, bud. Tomorrow is another day."

The next day, he had to repeat the training with Astrid. He hoped that, this time, the experiment would be different and that others would not annoy them again. Especially today because it wasn't just them, it was the entire gang who participated. Hiccup managed to be on time for once. Fishlegs and Snotlout were already there but not all the kids had arrived yet. He came towards Astrid who smiled at his approach. He furtively kissed her lips to say 'hello' but she intensified the kiss as if she needed to be forgiven for her latest conduct. The young boy let himself succumb to this passionate gesture before being overtaken by reality… Fishlegs started to cough insistently. The young couple split, embarrassed.

" _Hiccstrid_ …" Snotlout coughed to his friend's intention.

Hiccup glared at him while Fishlegs wondered what was going on. The twins arrived shortly after this incident and the recruits were soon all here.

"Okay, today: teamwork," the blond announced. "I want you to apply the bond you established with your dragon yesterday. But before that, we'll show you the kind of things you could do with your dragon when you have become very close."

She looked at Hiccup who immediately climbed into the heights of the skies to demonstrate. The teens raised their heads, admiring the dragon rider and his night fury soaring through the sky, even if they barely saw them.

"Pull to the side of the arena!" Astrid ordered.

The future chief of Berk soon reappeared but he was no longer on the dragon's back. He was swooping down to the Academy's hard ground while the night fury was on his tail to be able to catch him. His girlfriend was watching their flight carefully, afraid that something happened to Hiccup. The two friends were approaching the ground faster and faster so the night fury bounced back to catch his best friend but in the run-up to the ground, he turned his attention to Stormfly who was also concerned about this dangerous figure. Indeed, Astrid's dragon was looking at their fall with anxiety, distracting the night fury for a brief moment. Unfortunately, it was long enough to make Hiccup shudder when his impact was imminent.

"Toothless!" the boy screamed.

Panicked, Astrid sprang in the middle of the Academy to catch the young man.

"Hiccup, careful!" she shouted.

"Astrid!"

So he crashed into her girlfriend's arms. He made her fall back, landing on top of her. The night fury managed to level off soon enough to not fall brutally on the ground, but it was already too late. The apprentices put a hand to their mouth to avoid a scream. The gang ran towards Hiccup and Astrid.

"Astrid, I'm sorry! Are you okay?" the chief' son asked, helping her to get up.

The Academy trainer was holding her head painfully.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine…" she said without conviction.

Then, she raised her head to Hiccup:

"What's going on with them?" she asked.

"I think Toothless was distracted by Stormfly," Fishlegs explained.

"Now the dragons started too, we'll never see the end of it," Snotlout guffawed.

Astrid scowled before walking up to her dragon who was licking Toothless' wing. Hiccup followed her.

"Did we miss something?" Ruffnut asked.

"If only you knew…" the Jorgenson said.

Hiccup caressed Toothless before checking nothing was broken.

"Easy there. What got into you, bud?" the young Viking wondered.

"Hiccup, Snotlout is right. Our dragons get close lately and that's not good for the training."

"Come on Astrid, don't you think you're overreacting? Look, it's all new to them too!"

"Hiccup, I think you're missing the point… It could've turned out worse just now! If I hadn't been there…"

"But I'm fine," he said by putting his hands on Astrid' shoulders.

However, she removed them before adding:

"Anyway, for you, it's over."

"But Astrid–"

"Come on! And take Toothless with you."

The young man found himself forced to leave the training without being able to put up any resistance. He left, looking sad, summoning Toothless to follow him.

"Fine. Let's go, Toothless."

Astrid bit her lip before looking away. The gang watched the duo part, a little confused. Tuffnut turned his head towards Astrid before redirecting his attention to Hiccup and Toothless' departure.

"Is it just me or is something up with those two?" he asked.

Her twin sister sighed meanwhile Snotlout started to laugh. Fishlegs immediately requested him to shut up his big mouth.

The rest of the session went pretty well aside from the Jorgenson's understatements that Astrid rushed to hush. Once everybody had left, Hiccup came to meet his friend at the end of the class.

"Astrid, can we just talk?"

"I still have a lot to do Hiccup, so… just leave me alone, please."

The young man was most definitely increasingly surprised by the behaviour of his partner. He obeyed nonetheless and moved outside the arena, his eyes downcast. He came out and went to the Great Hall, where he sat down on the steps leading to it. Hiccup put his head in his hands and thought. He thought about Astrid, about what would become of their relationship when the recent turn appeared so obvious, though. She no longer seemed to be on the same page as him. He didn't know what he was supposed to do.

Suddenly, he felt a hand alighted on his shoulder. He turned away; it was his father.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on, Son?" he said, sitting down next to him.

The boy sighed, looking at his feet, well his foot.

"It's Astrid."

"Oh, there we are."

"We fought."

"Hum, I see… But you know Son, nobody said love affairs were an easy thing."

Hiccup brusquely raised his head towards his dad.

"Wh– What? You mean you knew?"

Stoick nodded, looking like it was nothing while his son stayed stupefied.

"It's something you feel, Son. I was just waiting for you to talk to me about it yourself."

The auburn-haired boy passed his hand through his hair, pretending to laugh, looking embarrassed.

"Well, let's go back to your problem. Did you try talking to her?"

"Of course! But she avoids discussion!"

"Aha your mother was the same…"

"She was?"

"But you know what works in situations like these?"

"No?"

"The pushy method! You need to ground her back into her problems. If you don't, you won't get anything out of her. That's how I used to do it with your mom."

"Aha you're surely right… Thanks Dad," the boy replied by briefly taking his father into his arms.

He smiled and left on the back of Toothless, determined to do something. He wasn't going to let this thing run its course, he was going to take action.

He found Astrid at the Academy gate and asked Toothless to catch her by surprise. She uttered a cry of distress before realizing it was Hiccup and Toothless.

"Hiccup! Get me down from here!" she screamed.

"No, there's no way."

They flew to a place far away from the village center in order to have a real talk. Toothless finally landed while making sure to leave Astrid on the ground smoothly. She gave Hiccup a strong punch in his shoulder.

"That's for kidnapping me!"

"Okay, maybe I deserved that one… But we still need to talk Astrid."

"What do you want to talk about?" she said by turning her back to him.

"Oh come on Astrid, you know perfectly well! I know you were looking for me last night."

She turned her head towards her boyfriend.

"I was at the forge. I wasn't trying to avoid you, unlike you…" the young man pursued.

"What?"

"I don't know but… Since this whole mess with Snotlout, you seem to avoid me!"

"No, not at all…"

"No? And what about this morning uh?"

The girl bit her lip. Hiccup approached her to take her hands.

"Astrid… You know you can tell me anything," he declared by staring right into her eyes.

"Yeah, you're right. Hiccup, I'm sorry. It's just that they all make me sick, talking about us only as a couple and no more as distinct persons! I need to be recognised for who I am. I don't want our relation to define us in the eyes of others, you know?

 _That's it_ , he thought. He smiled by pressing her hand.

"Sure, I understand."

He paused.

"Do you remember when we were looking for our dragons back in the forest on the Edge, both of us, after the storm?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember what I told you then?"

"Of course, you told me that _there will always be a Hiccup and Astrid_."

He put his hand on her shoulders.

"That's it, there will always be a Hiccup _and_ Astrid," he insisted by caressing her right cheek. "We're a team. There's no way, we'll be confused again cause there's definitely two people who make this team! You're above all Astrid Hofferson and I Hiccup Haddock.

She smiled before hugging him.

"And," Hiccup breathed, "we could maybe spend more time together, just you and me, rather than exposing us before everyone. What do you think?"

"I think that's a good idea Hiccup, thank you," the blond replied, holding him tighter against her.

As they split, Astrid grasped Hiccup by his collar.

"Oh and one more thing…"

She pulled him before planted a kiss on his thin lips.

"That's for everything else."


	3. By your side

**_And here we go for another one shot! A big thank you to my friend JoyOfBerK who did the correction and noura-fanart who did this amazing cover! Thank you so much guys! 3_**

 ** _Anyway, I hope you'll like this OS! It follows "Hiccstrid or not Hiccstrid". So please enjoy your reading and tell me what you think ;)_**

* * *

The heat in the forge was intense. Breathe. Blow. Sweat. Wipe his forehead. Breathe again, then return to the task he had begun. _It's very warm,_ thought the young boy who finally brought himself to remove his top, ending up shirtless. He could allow himself to do so; after all, he was alone.

Hiccup wasn't used to working here anymore. He had abandoned metallurgy and creating inventions, to lead the war against Viggo. But now, he was out, the young Viking had decided to have his fun by letting sprout in his mind all the craziest ideas that could improve his life and the lives of his people on Berk. He was actually working on a new leg that he could use to control Toothless' tail.

"Hey," a voice pronounced in his back.

Startled, he turned around and discovered that it was Astrid. He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. The blond slightly blushed at the view of his torso.

"Sorry Hiccup, I didn't want to bother you. If you want me to leave..."

"No! Astrid, wait. Stay," he whispered, taking her hands, smiling.

She smiled back in putting her head on his shoulder, surrounding him with her arms.

"So… what are you doin'?" she asked, kissing his shoulder-blade.

The young boy suddenly got excited with the idea of presenting his invention.

"Aha, you'll love it!"

* * *

He took the item in question and he demonstrated.

"It's a new leg. I'll use it to control Toothless' tail. And look, it's retractable! With that, I can go back to a suitable leg for walking. Handy, uh?"

"That's amazing!"

"And I thought we could go try it on an island nearby. We should also use this time to work on our dragons' relationship, what do you think?" he smiled.

She put a kiss on his cheek before holding him tighter.

"I think it's a very good idea, Hiccup."

"Okay, let's do that. But first... I should go find something to wear."

"Oh yeah! Go ahead. I'll wait for you with Stormfly outside," Astrid responded, a little confused.

So, she walked away, her face turning red, to find her dragon.

It was the first time Astrid saw her boyfriend shirtless, and it gave her a strange feeling. She felt kind of silly for reacting like that. After all, it was just a half-naked body. _It's not like he was…_ The young girl shook her head to shake this thought away.

"I'm ready! We can go now," Hiccup announced, coming from nowhere.

Surprised by his sudden arrival, Astrid jumped. She almost fell, but bounced back just in time, ashamed.

"Astrid! You sure you're okay?" the brown-haired boy asked.

"Aha yeah, I'm fine! Let's go try this leg!"

"Okay..."

It was his turn to consider his girlfriend as strange. She was truly acting odd, but anyway, he was too enthusiastic to take care of it right now. So, they left and went to this nearby island. As for Astrid, Hiccup was a little too confident. He dismounted from his dragon, all excited, and started to smile like a little kid. The girl shook her head, disapprovingly. He raised her head.

"What? What is it?"

The blond-haired girl held back a laugh.

"Nothing."

The young man squinted, half-smiling, knowing full well that Astrid was making fun of him. However, he didn't care. He knew he had just invented something brilliant. She would congratulate him when the proper time came. Until then, he would try to prove her he was right.

"Ok... so," Hiccup said, squatting.

He grabbed his new leg after removing the old one.

"Let's start there... I put it like this and... Yeah that's it. And tada! What do you say?"

"Well, we'll see if it works first..."

Hiccup whispered before positioning himself on Toothless' back, well determined to prove she was wrong. He asked his dragon to take off.

"Come on Toothless, it's time to show them what you got!" the young boy exclaimed.

He made Toothless gain speed before making him turn left brutally under the worried gaze of his girlfriend. Thankfully, he managed to enable the mechanism of his dragon's artificial limb, just in time. He had made it.

"You did it Hiccup! You did it!" Astrid shouted with glee, thrusting her fist into the air before turning herself towards her dragon. "They did it Stormfly! They did it!"

The young girl was more than proud. From afar, Astrid's hero was looking at her amorously, grinning from ear to ear. It was the first time in his life that he succeeded in making her proud of one of his inventions. And that made him quite happy.

So, on his track, Hiccup pursued his crazy test above an angry sea. Indeed, the sky began to grow darker and the wind was blowing briskly. But this sudden change of weather didn't intimidate the young boy. On the contrary, it increased his motivation to greater heights. The blond-haired girl raised her head to the duo while reassuring her friend with blue scales.

"See girl, everything is going well for them," she smiled.

But at the very moment when she achieved her sentence, the thunder rumbled. A few seconds later, a huge lightening flared, taking control of the sky. Unsettled, Hiccup lost control of his leg, since it didn't want to retract correctly anymore.

"Toothless!" Hiccup screamed.

The dragon uttered a plaintive growl, helpless.

"Come on bud! Just a little further! We've got to get to the edge of the island!"

 _Flying above the ocean, what a brilliant idea Hiccup!_ he thought, seeing that he was moving dangerously closer to the water.

Stormfly didn't wait for someone to ask her; Astrid leaped onto her back and they soared quickly to catch up to Toothless and his rider. She managed to catch him right in a slump by literally jumping on him to take him back to the sand. However, in her stunt, she didn't really care about the two dragon riders, to the extent that, in her fall, she caused Hiccup to fall off his dragon and find himself in the frigid water.

As for Astrid, she had been thrown forward onto the beach by her deadly nadder's improvised rescue. She bounced back, running towards the dragons, her eyes seeking Hiccup, but he was not with them.

"Oh no... Hiccup!" she exclaimed when she realized that he had surely fallen into the water driven furious by the storm.

Astrid ran to the sea and dived into the cold water to get back the young unconscious Viking. She swam to him before bringing him to the surface. She caught her breath and dragged him to the beach, where she laid him down and then shook him to make him come around.

"Hiccup!" she cried.

He finally spat the water he had imbibed by coughing. Astrid took him in her arms, breathed a sigh of relief, and hugged him with all her might. Hiccup whispered something barely audible before letting his head fall on her shoulder.

"I was so scared..." Astrid murmured in a quivering voice.

The auburn-haired boy caressed her hair before whispering "I know" to her ear. So, Astrid took his head in her hands to look him straight in the eyes.

"Don't you ever do that to me again," she articulated with more than a serious voice.

They had nearly lost each other too many times before. Now that the dragon hunters were history, Astrid didn't want it to repeat, and Hiccup had understood that very well. They didn't need to talk; they just had to look at each other to understand themselves.

"Okay; now, let's go back," the blond-haired girl suggested.

So, they turned in the direction of their dragons, approaching them to reassure the dragons before taking off. Astrid helped Hiccup, just enough for him to walk over to his dragon, and then she hurried towards Stormfly. However, Hiccup winced when he saw Toothless' condition.

"Hey, Astrid... I think we're about to have a little problem..."

She didn't have the time to take care of her dragon, since she was already turning her head towards her boyfriend's.

"What is it?"

He showed her that his night fury's tail was completely destroyed.

"His tail is broken, we can't fly with that..."

"It doesn't matter, Stormfly will take Toothless between her talons and us on her back. She's strong enough for that, don't worry Hiccup."

Nevertheless, the teenager made a face that didn't seem to agree with the pretty blond-haired girl.

"Actually, I don't think it will be possible Astrid..."

She turned towards her deadly nadder who was licking her right wing with difficulty, seeming to be in great pain. The young female Viking ran to her before caressing her gently.

"What is it girl? Does your wing hurt?"

"I think she had surely broken it by trying to catch us, Toothless and me, earlier."

"Great! What do we do now?"

At the very moment when she pronounced these words, a cloudburst began to pour down upon their already wet heads.

"We could maybe start with handling that?" Hiccup indicated by pointing to the rainstorm.

Astrid smiled before following him in the search of a place to take shelter. He took her hand and they ran at full speed through the raindrops. He stopped himself nevertheless before turning towards his girlfriend. The dragons, as to them, pursued their course in the direction of a cave hidden in the island's vegetation. Hiccup watched them dash away, meanwhile the young Viking wondered what he was waiting for, since he didn't follow them.

"Okay Hiccup, I don't get it, we're in the middle of a thunderstorm, and you want to stop and feel the rain?"

So, he grasped the young girl by her side, pulling her, and planted an affirmed kiss on her lips. Surprised by this unexpected act, she didn't respond immediately to the kiss. But, as the brown-haired boy was becoming insistent, she abandoned herself to this passionate embrace. When their lips split up, he took her in his arms, approached his head to her ear and placed his hand on her blond hair.

"I think you didn't hear me properly earlier, but I wanted to thank you... Thank you for saving me," he said sincerely.

He held her tight against him, she smiled. He grabbed her hand and she went into a graceful spin, with pouring rain accompanying them, every step of the way. The two teenagers were laughing out loud, dancing in the rain, soaked to the skin but they didn't care. They were turning, turning, turning until they became disoriented and so wobbly that they couldn't stand up. They had fallen onto the damp sand of the beach, giggling and looking at themselves without being able to see each other properly, since they were dizzied to the point that their environment seemed to move around them. Hiccup approached his nose to Astrid's, rubbing it sweetly against it. He closed his eyes and they exchanged a wet kiss. They finally bounced back, slightly numb, but stable nevertheless. These two dragon riders arrived at the cave soaked, but they didn't regret this little grain of folly. On the contrary, since they were a couple, Hiccup and Astrid were trying to spend as much time together as possible. They wanted to live every moment as if it was their last, to live life to the fullest. In fact, they were following a Latin proverb that they couldn't have known anything about...

 _Carpe diem._

In other words, _Pluck the day, trusting as little as possible in the future_. What a great expression. And Hiccup and Astrid embodied it to perfection. After all that they had been through together, they could also understand each other's view on life. They knew very well that every moment they had spent fighting Viggo and the dragon hunters, they had risked everything. It was the reason why, now that all this was behind them, they wanted to enjoy themselves.

"You're completely insane," Astrid laughed when they reached the cave.

They started to laugh behind their dragons who, decidedly, didn't understand the issue. But Hiccup was suddenly overcome by a cough that he couldn't stop. At the beginning, Astrid thought it was because they were laughing this whole time, but she realized soon enough that it was not that.

"Hiccup?"

She took him in her arms and tried to help him stop his uncontrollable cough. He calmed himself a little bit, but he continued to cough for a few more minutes before becoming roughly tranquil again. He shuddered. The blond-haired girl touched his forehead and, feeling the warmth of it, she hugged him more to warm him up.

"You'll be fine Hiccup; I'm going to take care of you, okay?"

But then again, he was so cold that nothing came out of his mouth. He shook his head instead.

The young girl remembered all the moments when she had found herself in his place. She recalled the time she had almost drowned and Hiccup had come just in time to save her. She was lucky that day, very lucky. She also remembered her recent, yet temporary, loss of sight, and how she had been so afraid. Thankfully, Hiccup had been there to support her, even after she had finally recovered. Then, she recalled the scourge of Odin. The young boy had really well taken care of her during those two long months. She almost didn't make it. If he hadn't been there, she surely wouldn't have been here thinking about it... Hiccup was truly a caring boyfriend. She was lucky to have him.

Astrid leaned over the sleeping boy to kiss him on his forehead.

"It's my turn to take care of you", she whispered.

…

 _"I'm fine," the young girl smiled before coughing violently._

 _Hiccup was supporting her the best that he could, but her cough did not cease. He finally got the others out of the hut before laying Astrid on her bed._

 _"Don't worry about me, I told you I'm fine," the blond-haired girl protested by sitting up._

 _So he put his hands on her shoulders._

 _"No Astrid, that's not fine."_

 _She looked down, shameful._

 _"I mean, Astrid... Why wouldn't you tell me?"_

 _Hesitant, she finally raised her head to face him._

 _"I didn't want you to worry," she replied sincerely._

 _He helped her to lay down once more since she had almost no strength left. He lowered the blanket on her with care._

 _"If you had told me, we could have more time to search for this Buffalord!"_

 _She was starting to doze off, but she murmured before falling asleep:_

 _"It's too late for me Hiccup, you'll have to accept that..."_

 _So he took her hand, tears in his eyes._

 _"I forbid you to say that Astrid! Do you hear me?"_

 _But she was already asleep. The scourge was gaining ground. Hiccup dried his tears with a wave of his hand before letting Astrid rest._

 _So, that was truly the reason of her silence?_

 _Even if it was what she believed, he wouldn't let that happen; he would never abandon her. He would save her at all costs._

…

The sun was barely visible when Astrid was awakened by screams that came from outside. She raised her head, realizing that she had fallen asleep in recalling all these memories, with Hiccup still huddled comfortably in her arms.

"Hiccup! Astrid! Are you there?"

It was Stoick's voice.

"We're here!" Astrid shouted, a little embarrassed to be found like that with the chief's son in her arms.

The Viking with the red beard came into the cave, followed by Gobber who, obviously, appeared relieved to see them again. Then, the young shield maiden told the two Viking men how they had found themselves in this situation with incredible luck. She started with Hiccup's messed up test and finished with his sudden fever. So, they had seen fit to repatriate the young boy to Berk and to send for Gothi immediately. Astrid stayed with him all the way back to Berk and accompanied him to his home. She was very worried about him.

The old woman arrived shortly thereafter. She had examined the young boy carefully and had diagnosed him with a bad flu and that he would get over it soon enough with the medications she had given him. The blond-haired girl was instantly relieved.

"That's what happens when you play in the rain..."

…

Days passed, and Astrid came each day to take care of Hiccup and check that he took his medications well… but, also to see him. With all he had done for her, the young woman felt indebted.

One evening, while Astrid was about to fall asleep, after having talked all day long with her boyfriend, who was already asleep himself, Stoick went up to Hiccup's room.

"Astrid, are you still there?"

The blond-haired girl suddenly came out of her half-sleeping state.

"Hum? Yeah! Yeah, I'm still there."

The chief of Berk approached the young patient's bed and put a hand on the shoulder of the caring warrior who was sitting on a chair next to it.

"Thanks for looking out for him Astrid. But you've done enough already. Go, go home and get some sleep. See you tomorrow."

She smiled to Stoick before wishing him a good night. He walked her to the door and when he got back to his son's bedside, Hiccup had awoken.

"Astrid left?" he whispered.

"Yes son, she left; she'll be back tomorrow", said Stoick reassuringly.

Hiccup looked disappointed. Stoick moved closer to his son.

"You know, you're lucky to have someone who takes care of you like that?"

"Yeah... I know," Hiccup sighed, with a small grin.

"Well, I'll let you got some rest. Good night Son."

"Good night Dad."

And as Hiccup fell asleep, he thought about the girl who will always stay by his side, no matter what.


	4. They don't know about us

_**Hey guys! New chapter here! (Yeah I will call it chapters now)**_

 _ **I finally managed to translate this part I wrote before RTTE Season 5 came out. It follows "By your side" but it's a little bit different from my usual writings. Cause there's more reflexion in it but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway!**_

 _ **Hope you guys will like it! Tell me what you thought about it in the comments!**_

 _ **P.S: The next chapters will take the new season into account, don't worry! And I decided to name this OS serie that occurred during RTTE: "Young Love".**_

* * *

A few weeks had passed since Hiccup had got sick. Fortunately for him, thanks to Gothi's prescriptions and Astrid's great support, he quickly got better. So he had the possibility to pursue the activities he had started but stopped under his girlfriend' supervision, who wanted to make sure he wasn't going to mess around any more. By the way, this little incident had brought them close once again.

Indeed, during his convalescence, the young girl came each night to check up on him and talk with him. They passed long nights to talk about everything and nothing. Astrid was telling him the proceedings of her day spent to the academy while he was telling her how he managed to kill time til she got home. That was everything except interesting but it made them laugh. And then, there were these looks, these gestures which meant "Stay" without daring to pronounce it out loud. Oh of course, he had already asked her to stay but never in such circumstances. If he asked her to stay here, with him, for the night, he was initiating something in their relation he was not ready to assume yet. So he didn't ask her.

Nonetheless, Hiccup and Astrid had kept the habit of meeting up each night in the young boy's room to talk about their respective days but also to be together, quite simply. After which the blond-haired girl went back home to sleep, satisfied by their brief meeting.

But one night, after a long day of hard work of rounding up Sven's sheep which had scattered all over the island, the two teenagers arrived completely exhausted at the young man's hut. And even if they had already eaten with the others in the Great Hall, they had still wanted to spend time with just the two of them together before going to bed. So they lied down on Hiccup's bed, eyes focused on the ceiling, yawning. They made jokes about the past day before talking about this and that, eyelids growing more and heavier. They finally indulged themselves to exhaustion which threatened them for a while. They started to talk less and less louder until the sound of their voices faded away completely. And then, they fell asleep in the most peaceful calmth.

The next day, what a surprise for the young Hofferson to discover that she had literally fallen asleep in her boyfriend's arms, in his bed, in his room, in Stoick the Vast's house, his father and the village's chief. She instantly raised her head and scurried to the window to have an idea of what time it was. The sun was already high in the sky, too high. So she went back fast to Hiccup and started to shake him violently in order to wake him. So he opened his eyes, completely lost, wondering what was going on.

"Astrid?"

"Come on Hiccup! Hurry up! We're late! We've got to go, now!"

"Wha–, wait what? And what are you doing here?"

"I fell asleep... well, we fell asleep and I woke up here, in your bed... Anyway, we need to go!"

The young boy didn't dare to fight back. He rapidly followed his girlfriend in her race against time to catch up and got ready quickly without taking his breakfast. They finally arrived just in time for the team training they had planned to give today in the Dragon Academy.

"Ah! Here you are at last!" Snotlout cried out.

Fishlegs gave him the stink-eye.

"Leave them alone Snotlout, I'm pretty sure that Hiccup and Astrid had a very good reason for not coming earlier this morning, right?"

The two concerned gave each other an embarrassing look, praying to Odin that Fishlegs would not go any further.

"You were surely very busy this morning?" their friend insisted.

"That's what I heard too," Tuffnut intervened.

"Anyway, that's what the rumours say as far as we know..." Ruffnut raised.

"What? What rumours?" Hiccup suddenly asked.

So the twin sister came closer to the chief's son.

"Well... Those that say that they saw you came out of the same hut this morning..."

The two lovebirds exchanged a look again, their faces turning red this time, pretty uncomfortable.

"Which means at least that you slept together!" Ruffnut exclaimed.

"And at most that you..." her brother began before being cut off violently by the dragon riders' chief.

"Stop! I think that will be it for today..."

So Astrid walked away in the direction of the exit, visibly overwrought. The gang observed her move away, a little bit confused because they had not meant it seriously. But Astrid Hofferson was a sensitive warrior and she did not appreciate this supposedly _joke_. Hiccup didn't try to catch her, finding it was not useful in the moment.

By nightfall, however, he started to be more concerned about it. He hadn't seen the pretty blond-haired girl all day. She didn't attend dragon training and they had not even eaten together at midday. And now, he was waiting her in his house for their evening meeting but she was not coming.

"Oh... No Hofferson tonight?" Stoick asked as he was passing by.

"She's just a bit late..." the brown-haired boy retorted as to convince himself.

"Ah," the chief said, looked unconvinced.

"What?"

"Oh nothing, it's getting late. Good night, Son."

The young boy smiled.

"Good night, Dad."

Realizing that the young girl would probably not come, Hiccup finally brought himself to go up to his room to sleep. He lied down heavily on his bed and put his head on his pillow, whispering. Toothless had already fallen asleep quite a while ago. _What have I missed?_ The young boy asked to himself. He thought about the previous day. He didn't understand Astrid's departure this morning. Of course, the others had kidded them about their lateness but nothing more than normal, no? The blond-haired girl seemed to take everything badly when it came to the relation she had with the chief' son. And Hiccup had a really hard time understanding why. He finally decided that he would take her aside the next day to talk about it.

At dawn, the young dragon rider woke up to eat his breakfast quickly. His yak milk barely finished, he dragged Toothless outside his hut to head for Astrid's. He wanted to take advantage of the island's tranquillity in this time of the morning to come talk to her. He knew she would be awake. She always woke up early in the morning to go train her axe throwing in the forest; he would catch her just before she left. And he was right, at the very moment when he arrived behind her hut, the blond-haired girl went out.

"Hey," he smiled.

"Hiccup? But what are you doing here?" she asked, surprised.

"You didn't come last night so I thought I was coming to see you this morning."

"Sorry about last night, I was very busy..." the young girl answered, pretty embarrassed.

"Very busy huh?"

The young Viking said nothing, she knew Hiccup did not believe her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" the young man finally asked.

"About what?" Astrid retorted, crossing her arms.

"Well, maybe about the fact you avoided me all day long yesterday?"

The blond-haired girl didn't answer in spite of Hiccup's pleading look that only asked to understand her. After a while, she finally broke the ice.

"Well, now I would really like to go training if you don't mind..."

But Hiccup was determined to get her talk, he held her by the arm.

"No Astrid, we need to talk."

"Let me go Hiccup."

"Not until you tell me why you left the Dragon Training yesterday. Astrid, I'm just trying to help..."

At that moment, the door opened and Astrid's parents appeared in its frame. They were wondering what was going on between the two teenagers.

"Is everything alright, honey?" her father suddenly asked.

Hiccup instantaneously released his hold on the young girl who managed to step back.

"It's alright, Dad. Hiccup just came to say hello to me."

Astrid's father acquiesced before getting inside his hut with his wife again. So their daughter turned towards the young brown-haired boy.

"If you really want to help, start by stopping making a spectacle of ourselves," she said before leaving for good this time.

The dragon rider stood in awe. All well intended, he had nevertheless been put in his place by his girlfriend and also by her father even if it was only verbally. His look meant everything. She didn't want to talk but she would have to eventually. He would try again later.

However, his attempts to talk to Astrid were everything but fruitful. They failed one after the other... The young Hofferson was rather stubborn when she wanted. The chief's son had no choice, he would have to do this the hard way. Even if the idea didn't really thrill him, he knew it was the right thing to do because a trusting relationship was not a relationship where we kept things from each other. Indeed, talking was the key to a healthy relationship. That's why he decided to go look for Astrid where she would not expect him to come: the Academy.

When he arrived, she was in the middle of class with the young Berkian recruits about the art of the element of surprise. _The irony of fate_ Hiccup thought, as his favourite tactic was precisely this one. He entered the arena and pulled Astrid back by the arm behind the all of her students. She barely had time to pronounce his name before he was already talking to the young dragon riders for her.

"The class is over; you can go back to your own business!" Hiccup announced.

The teenagers didn't have to be asked twice. They were pretty much used to the recurring fight of Hiccup and Astrid now. And they knew that in that case, leaving in a hurry was their best option. The academy was emptied in no time.

The blond-haired girl removed Hiccup's hand from her arm.

"Sometimes, I wonder if you're listening to me when I speak..." Astrid declared coldly.

The young man held a sigh.

"I understood that you didn't want to talk Astrid but we'll have to do so, even if you don't want to."

He had talked with a calm tone, confident. The young girl had no choice but to surrender.

"All right, then, what do you want to know?"

The chief' son scratched the back of his head but he didn't have the time to say his question, Astrid had already started to speak again.

"You want to know why I left the training? Why I avoided you all day long? Why I didn't come to our meeting last night?"

She paused to observe his reaction.

"Yeah," he agreed.

He stopped and then, took her face in his hands.

"Yes, I want to know."

But the young woman didn't expect him to say that at all. She looked at him, astonished and it was only at this moment that she realized that he really wanted to understand the reason of her malaise. She lowered her eyes and snuffled before starting to cry. So Hiccup hugged her closer because he had no idea what else he could do.

Astrid never cried.

And she blamed herself to put this on Hiccup because he never saw her cry before. He was going to ask her tons of questions, she knew it. But she was not certain that she could answer them. To be honest, she was worried that he may not understand.

"Astrid, you know you can tell me anything..." her boyfriend murmured once she had calmed down.

"Hiccup I... I'm sorry... I don't know what that was... You seemed so well on your side and me..."

"And you're not okay..." he said, concerned.

He passed his hand through her blond hair.

"I get it," he insisted. "So tell me what's wrong now."

The young girl approved, nodding.

"You know, this has nothing to do with you, it's just... Since we've been together, I feel like people are looking at us differently and I... it bothered me. Don't you think I left due to some gang' scoffing, no. If I left it's because I'm tired of all those innuendos about us. I mean, they don't know about us, about our relation. That's why I told you I want to share it with you... I... Everything's so different since then. Sometimes, I feel like it was better before, when we were only just friends."

"What is that suppose to mean?" Hiccup interrupted her, suddenly becoming worried.

But she reassured him immediately by taking his hand firmly.

"Hiccup, don't get any wrong ideas, I'm very happy that we're more than that today," she smiled. "All I'm saying is that it was easier. We were free. We were friends and no one looked any further than that. But when it comes to love, people suddenly become interested, they want to know everything. We're not able to relax anymore. And you're the chief's son so I know full well it's not gonna stop any time soon... And I wonder if... If I'll be able to deal with all this...

She lowered her head. He raised it delicately, smiling.

"Astrid, we don't care about what others might think about us. It doesn't matter. What matters is what we lived together. As you said, they don't know about us. They don't know what we shared and you're right, they don't need to know it. The only thing you need to understand is that the kind of things that occurred yesterday will happen again but it's okay, we don't care. You have to let it go, Astrid. Don't let people keep you from being with me, well, if you still want to..."

The pretty blond-haired girl laughed, addressing him a light slap on the top of his head.

"Of course I want to!"

They laughed together.

"And don't worry, the others are a bit silly right now but that's because it's the beginning. They'll get tired of it very soon, you'll see," the brown-haired boy reassured her. "Look, at worst, some bad jokes from times to times will not kill us. And you know them, that's never too mean."

"Yeah you're right; I think I got carried away by the events... My reaction was over the top. I'm sorry Hiccup," she concluded, taking him in her arms.

They held each other tightly. Hiccup murmured something to Astrid's ear, she smiled.

"Deal."

…

At nightfall, the young woman was not headed for her beloved's hut, no. That night, Astrid walked down to the forest located on the north of the isle to get where Hiccup told her to come: the Raven point. The night had not fallen yet. It didn't take long for Astrid to find her way to the place where it all began. That was where she kissed him for the first time. On the cheek, yes, but it still counted in her eyes.

"Astrid?"

He was here. Sitting on the blanket he had brought for the occasion, near the little lake defining the site. The boy she kissed that night was all grown up, she thought for herself. And all her doubts disappeared at the very moment she saw the smile of the man she loved illuminate his face at seeing her. She took her place next to him and she clasped him into her arms.

"Did you make all this?"

"For your great pleasure milady," he assured her by addressing her his best smile.

She laughed. He laughed too.

They tasted what the young boy had cooked and in the view of the calmth that prevailed, it was delicious. When they were done, they lied down on the grass to enjoy the view of the starry sky.

"You were right Hiccup, no one will bother us here," Astrid declared, taking his hand.

She observed him, smiling. He looked at her amorously and approached her softly. He looked into her before kissing her feverishly. She intensified the kiss by taking his head into her hands. He passed his hand trough her hair, tousling her a little, before letting his two hands roam along her back. He finally put them on her waist to bring their bodies bursting closer. They kept on kissing until Astrid decided to put an end on it. She bounced back abruptly and removed her furry boots. She was on her back.

"It's hot in here, don't you think?" she asked him.

She took a look behind her. He didn't understand what she was trying to say.

So she detached her shoulder armor before taking off her leggings and her barbed skirt. This way, the beautiful Hofferson found herself wearing a top and knickers before Hiccup's disconcerted eyes.

"Astrid what are you...?" he managed to formulate.

"Come on Hiccup, don't you want a late-night swim with me?" she asked, without hiding her amusement.

She knew full well that he was uncomfortable and she was playing a lot of it because nevertheless, he wanted it and that consequently, he would follow her. So she continued and got rid of the two last clothes that still covered her. Her white skin was glowing in the only light of the moon. In the darkness, Hiccup managed to distinguish the silhouette of the young woman whose curves were near perfection. He stayed petrified to the view of her naked butt.

She fully revealed herself to him and he was not sure he could do the same. But that's also why he loved her. Astrid inspired him. It was the person that knew him better than anyone else, his best friend. She made him take risks. She pushed him to act, to move outside his comfort zone just like he did. That's why they made quite the team. They helped each other to surpass themselves. So he got up, looking at her flaming body dive gradually into the cold water of the lack. Once inside, she turned her head towards him.

"So, you're coming?"

He couldn't believe the way the pretty blond-haired girl was acting with him. She was afraid of others' looks but she was fearless with him. Meanwhile he was terrified. It was the biggest difference between them. Astrid was comfortable with Hiccup, she trusted him so laying herself bare –literally– before him was something natural to her. It was the way things were. But as for Hiccup, it was still something that intimidated him, but he knew that Astrid would be there to help him boosting his confidence. At the same time, he was flattered she revealed herself to him. It showed him how much she cared about him and how much she felt good with him.

She was going to reiterate her question when she heard the sound of his clothes fall heavy on the ground. He finally had decided himself to come join her. She stayed on her back, her arms around her shoulders to keep warm. Hesitant steps moving towards her direction were being felt. She waited for him patiently, she didn't want to rush him, she let him come to her. And he finally entered the cold water on her side, wrapping her with his arms so that she would never be cold again.

That's when he understood what she meant when she said that she wanted to share it with him.

There are things that you share only with the person you love.

Astrid caressed her head against Hiccup's before turning herself towards him to kiss his thin lips delicately. This embrace had taken them to an unprecedented proximity. The young girl smiled before whispering:

"I'm not afraid anymore, Hiccup."


	5. Closer

**_Hey guys!_**

 ** _I'm back with a newest OS very loooong! I'm working on it since a very long time and I modified it a little after S6 come out._**

 ** _So it follows the end of RTTE Season 6 and there will be a flashback to understand how Hiccup and Astrid get engaged! Plus, you guys asked for it, there will be Hiccstrid smuts..._**

 ** _Enjoy your read!_**

 ** _P.S: A big thank you to megtoons who translated it as well and to wolfie-dragon-rider who correct it! Thank you so much guys!_**

* * *

A few weeks had passed since Hiccup and the Dragon riders had definitely left the Edge to come back to Berk. With Johann and Krogan out of the picture, they could finally aspire to more peaceful days. Without resting for a moment, they have decided to deliver classes to Berk kids at the Dragon Academy.

"Here you go kiddos."

"Thank you Snotlout!" the little crowd answered happily while taking back their piece of paper.

"Yeah, that's how it's like to learn with pros…" he said by addressing them his best smile.

Then, turning towards Ruffnut, he added: "They loved me." the blond-haired girl whispered, exasperated meanwhile Fishlegs came to stick his ear in.

"That's it," he replied. "Don't listen to him Ruffnut, everyone here knows that those kids prefer their Uncle Fishlegs as teacher!"

Ruffnut still had troubles with this whole new romance that the two dragon riders felt for her. Thankfully, Hiccup was still there to clear the air.

"Well, when you're done, maybe we can start class…" Hiccup intervened, standing up for others who were getting impatient since a little while now.

"Fine!" the dark-haired boy exclaimed, crossing his arms and getting angry. "Anyway, you all act like that because you're jealous, I know that too well! But yeah, let start class…"

"Thank you," the dragon rider chief conceded.

Training could resume at the Academy. The chief's son announced to the young recruits the rules of the training session. They had decided to set up working groups in the form of rotating workshops. That way, each teenager could teach his best tactic to the students, allowing them to see a big panel of different strategies in the space of only one half-day. Then, Astrid explained to them the importance of a plan in every sensitive operation, and particularly when it came to take action against dangerous and manipulators men like Viggo Grimborn or Trader Johann. She promoted the fact of being alert and prepared for any eventuality in its elaboration because people like them were unpredictable. Meanwhile, the twins were recommending exactly the opposite, saying that you couldn't rely on a plan because it couldn't evaluate all risks. So a little dose of craziness was not too much in those cases. It led to confusion in kids' mind who didn't know who to believe anymore. And Snotlout didn't help matters by telling the kids how to look like him. Fortunately, Hiccup and Fishlegs were there to dot the I's. Fishlegs taught his students concentration techniques to combat stress induced by battles and mostly everything a dragon rider was confront to. Meanwhile Hiccup sought to reassure his apprentices, calling them for always trusting their intuitions.

Hiccup liked to teach. Sharing his knowledge in order to form new dragon riders made him happy. Trainings were also the opportunity to spend good times with the gang and of course Astrid. Since the necklace episode, Hiccup had fully understood that Astrid needed attention. Despite all, that story had drawn them closer and led the young boy to admit his deep feelings to his beloved. Oh Thor knew full well how much he loved this girl but telling her to her face had brought their relation to a level they never expected. Hiccup was really making an effort so that Astrid could feel special. He wanted her to perceive she was the most important thing in the world to him. But he also knew that in this case, acts were louder than words. That was why he decided to cut short her apologies by kissing her like he never did before after told her "I love you" for the first time. It was about being physically closer to her. The ways he touched her cheek or laid his hands on her when he was kissing her were each time a new declaration of love.

During training, they were doing a sort of flirting game. When she was passing by him, Astrid brushed him intentionally. She could also run to him in order to make him fall, so that she ended up on him. The young couple needed to feel the closeness of their bodies, they couldn't help it. Today, the pretty blond-haired girl had put an end to a kiss prematurely. So Hiccup asked her why she would do that and for all answer, she told him to meet her at the Raven Point without adding anything.

Once the classes were over, the young man rushed to his house in order to drop some stuff before going back to his girlfriend. He went up to his room to do what he had to do, and then down the stairs panting to not waste a second. However, he had to face a significant obstacle: his dad.

"Son!"

"Dad…"

"You seems in a rush, you're going somewhere?"

"What? No! I've plenty of time, plenty of time…"

"Great, I was just about to ask you if you could help me to bring that in the Great Hall!" he said by designating the barrels of wine present in the middle of their hut.

Tonight, the village celebrates the 50th birthday of their chief. He showed a lot of enthusiasm to celebrate it after the accident.

"Don't you think it's a little too much?" asked Hiccup, worry.

"On the contrary! It will never be enough! Come on, would you help me already?"

"Do I have any choice?"

They carried all the barrels to the Great Hall, talking about everything and anything. However, the time was passing by and Astrid will be probably worried for not seeing Hiccup coming. Once the last barrel was in the Hall, Hiccup decided it was time to leave his father.

"Okay Dad, it's not that I don't care but I kinda have a date with Astrid, so…"

"What? And you let her wait until now?"

"Uh… Well..."

"So what are you waiting for?! Just go now!"

"O-Okay… So I guess I'll see you later…"

"Just hurry now, there is not such thing as making a woman wait!" the vexing Chief said before sighting for himself "I did not teach him that, did I..."

The young boy run his lungs out to find Toothless for flying directly to Raven Point. He was so incredibly late, Astrid will kill him for sure. Once on the land, he saw a female figure, it was definitely Astrid. He got closer to the girl without scaring her. But she turned her head instantly in his direction, obviously looking upset.

"You're late."

"I know… I'm really sorry," he said lowering his head.

He put his arms around her while giving her forehead a kiss.

"I was helping my father with his birthday's stuff."

"It's okay, you came, that's all that matters," she smiled.

He took her hand.

"So, are you gonna tell me why we're here or?"

The blond girl smiled before focusing with what was around them.

"This is where it all started," she whispered.

She looked back to the brown haired boy.

"Between us I meant. When I found you with Toothless down here, years ago, I didn't know this day will change my life forever. It's also here I kissed you for the first time…" she remembered with a blush. "Now look how far we've come: five years of relationship and engaged…"

"We grew up a lot since then," attested Hiccup with humour.

Astrid laughed.

"Yeah… I remember your proposal like it was yesterday…"

 _Since the volcano's eruption, the Edge was surrounding by its lava which was almost covering all the island's land. While waiting for it to slow down, the riders got home on Berk. But it didn't stop them from coming back from time to time to see how things were evolving during their absence. The young couple was appointed to do the next patrol that day. Hiccup was getting his stuff when his father joined him._

 _"Oh Son, I wanted to talk to you."_

 _The young boy swallowed thickly. We can't really say that conversations with his father are his thing. It was even the opposite._

 _"Yeah sure," he answered him with fireback._

 _"Good. Come sit."_

 _They sat in front of each other at their usual dining table. Stoick crossed his arms and rested them on the hardwood looking straight into his son's eyes. Meanwhile, the boy looked at everything but at what was going on in front of him, he wanted to be anywhere but where he was right now._

 _"Hiccup?" called the chief of Berk._

 _The young adult gave up and get his attention back on his father. "The sooner it's done, the sooner he can go," he thought to himself._

 _"Yes, what did you wanted to talk to me about, Dad?"_

 _The imposing men cleared his throat before going further in his talk._

 _"Hum ahem… So… I wanted to talk you about your relationship with Astrid."_

 _Hiccup's heart missed a beat, were they really going to have this discussion?_

 _"You know, when you start to have a relationship with a young girl, you have to take some precautions… I don't really know where you two are at this point but yeah…"_

 _"Dad, please!"_

 _"I'm serious son! You're the future chief of Berk and as such, you have to show the right thing to do."_

 _"I already know these things, Dad!" he interrupted. "What's your point exactly?"_

 _"All I'm saying is, if your relationship lasts in time, you will have to think about the wedding sooner or later."_

 _"Wedding, so that's what he had in mind the all time?" said the son's chief to himself, a little caught off guard. He wrinkled his eyes while scratching his forehead, thinking about what his father just said._

 _"I understand that it might shake you a little but it's really serious son. Berk expects a lot from you. You will have to give them an heir and…"_

 _"Okay Dad, I think I got it."_

 _"Good, I will not hold you up any longer then."_

 _"Thanks Dad."_

 _The young boy was about to get out when his father called him one last time._

 _"And Hiccup?"_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"Think about it."_

 _The brown-haired boy sighed before definitely leaving his hut._

 _…_

 _It was night when they flew over the Edge._

 _"You think we'll be able to come back one day?" asked a nostalgic Astrid._

 _"One day maybe," nodded the boy. "But not for now for sure."_

 _"Too bad, I got used to the life we had on the Edge."_

 _"I guess it was inevitable that we had to go back to Berk one day," said Hiccup with a little hint of sadness in his voice._

 _"Yeah of course. But I hoped that we could stay a little longer. Our huts were much closer on this island."_

 _She finally did put a smile on Hiccup's dark face._

 _"Aha, true…"_

 _They decided to land next to the stables. Fortunately, the lava was still far from the outpost and since the eruption was not really that bad, they decided to go sleeping in their respective huts. They wished each other a good night before going to bed. However, even being exhausted, Hiccup couldn't sleep. Preoccupied, he thought about the conversation he had with his father about precautions, wedding, chief's duties, heir, all of it. But the word stuck in his mind was: wedding. He had a role he had to assume, and according to his father, marrying Astrid was part of it._

 _All of this was making his head turn, he needed to empty his mind. He got out of his bed to take some air. Toothless followed him so closely that he made loud noises when he came out of the hut. Hiccup scolded him before sitting on the edge of the stables to contemplate the moon. But he was joined by the blond girl in no time because, like he predicted, the noises that his dragons made woke her up. She sat down next to him while putting a hand on his shoulder._

 _"Can't sleep, huh?"_

 _"No."_

 _"Something bothers you?" asked the young girl, concerned._

 _He didn't answer so Astrid tried a second time:_

 _"You wanna talk about it?"_

 _No answer. She decided to stay with him anyway, she felt that he needed someone. The girl looked at what was still standing on their base. She remembered all the good times they had on this island where they moved in with the gang._

 _"We sure had plenty of good times here, right?" she smiled._

 _The young man drew a smile._

 _"For sure."_

 _"This is where we kissed for the first time…" she said, affected._

 _She paused for a moment._

 _"Sorry, just getting back here… it makes me kinda sad to think that the place where we had our best moments will probably disappear..."_

 _Hiccup lifted her head up._

 _"You know, even if the Edge disappeared, I would never forget the moments I had with you. Astrid, you're the most beautiful thing that happened to me… Our relationship might have begun here but it will not stop here and I really hope that it will last for a really long time!"_

 _"Like forever?"_

 _"Why not? I mean yeah, only if you want to…"_

 _"Is that a proposal?" she said, kinda amused._

 _The rider's heart missed a beat. He thought again about what his father said and stress took him over. Seeing the panic in her boyfriend's eyes, Astrid cut him short in his thoughts._

 _"Because if it really is, the answer is yes," she continued before kissing him._

 _Happy but surprised, he asked her:_

 _"Seriously? Because you know we have time, I don't want to rush you with all of that and…"_

 _"I'm more than serious, Hiccup. You know, it's been a while that I think about it and I think you father had a word with you, am I right?"_

 _"How do you know?"_

 _"You're the chief's son Hiccup, people expect a lot from you. And it's been a few years that we are together now. I mean, even if we weren't at the same point we are today, you and me was always pretty obvious, right?" she smiled. "I was just thinking that now we are all grown up and with time passing, maybe it was time to make things official, don't you think?"_

 _Astrid just released the rest of his stress that was stubbornly staying inside him. That's why he loved her, she had a gift for making things easier when it looked so unbelievably hard. He looked at her right in the eyes._

 _"I totally agree."_

 _After that, everything happened really fast. Hiccup announced his engagement with Astrid to his father who seemed really enthusiastic at the idea of announcing it to all the village. A party was throw up to celebrate their engagement, now official. They had to exchange their vows in front of the whole village in the middle of the Great Hall. In a delay of six moons cycles from the first announcement of their betrothal, ceremonial betrothal gifts must be exchanged._

 _"So, do you already know what betrothal gift you will give Astrid?" Fishlegs hurried to ask his friend._

 _"I still have time to find it, don't you think Fishlegs?" Hiccup said, trying to make him stop worrying._

 _"Let him breath Fish-Face!" Snotlout shouted. "Don't you see that he's got better things to do tonight?"_

 _The gang started to laugh full hearted before joining the rest of the people for taking advantage of the party._

Hiccup stroked Astrid's cheek before seizing the necklace he gave her as his betrothal gift. He fondly looked at it before looking back at her face.

"That necklace… it means that I will always be by our side, Astrid. Don't you ever forget that."

"Don't worry about that, I will never forget," she said before kissing his cheek.

Since the time, she should know that this kind of kiss was not enough for the young boy. Hiccup took her head in his hands for kissing her deeply. He then took her hand and held it tightly in his own.

"It's getting late, we should get ready for tonight," proposed the one-legged boy.

Astrid nodded and both left Raven Point to go back to the village.

…

The party was at its peak when the young girl entered the Hall. The Berkians were talking in little packs, some laughing loudly while others were just listening to the talk. A great banquet had been raised in Stoick's honor. This banquet was really enormous, like the Chief would like it to be. Astrid turned her head and saw Heather in a corner, she went to her. The Berserkers, the Outcasts and the Defenders of the Wings were invited for this special event.

"Oh you're here!" Heather said happily while taking her friend in her arms. "I was looking all around for you!"

"Sorry, I'm a bit late… Anyway, I'm so glad you could you and Dagur could come!"

"And don't forget Mala! Those two can't stay apart since they got married… and guess who is ruling the entire Berserker's island by herself?" smiled Heather smugly.

The two young girls started to laugh. They looked at the newlyweds who were at the chief's side. They decided to go closer to them when they saw Hiccup join his father.

"Congratulations again on your wedding Mala and Dagur," the chief declared as his son and the two young girls were coming.

Once the young dragon riders were here, he added, pointing at Hiccup and Astrid:

"Hoping these two finally decide to take the next step quickly! I want grandchildren!"

Feeling awkward, Astrid started to blush. Meanwhile Heather didn't know where to hide, Hiccup threw a concerned look to his parent. Stoick started to laugh before hitting his son's back. He walked out from the group for walking closer to the platform in the middle of the room for talking to the all crowd that gathered for his birthday. Once their attention drew back to him, he cleared his throat before beginning his speech.

"First of all, thanks to all of you for answering my invitation. It means a lot to me and to Berk and I am really thankful for that. But my birthday is not the only reason for what we are all reunited tonight. That's why I think I should do a little speech about that. A few weeks back, I didn't know if I will live or die and during this time, my son and his friends where out there putting an end to a war. Its thanks to them that we are here today and I think they don't know how much it makes me proud. So I wanted to thank them, for all they accomplished for saving the dragons from the hunters and defeating the evil spirits that were behind all of this. So tonight, let's drink in honor of those young fellas. To the Riders!"

Everybody started to applause the chief's speech. This same chief winked at his son who smiled in return. Despite all of this, he loved his father and even if they were not often on the same page, he cared about him more than he could admit. His speech really touched him and made him remember that life can be holding only by a thread.

The music came back in the Great room. He turned to Astrid for taking his hand and kissing it.

"Would you give me this dance Milady?" he said while bowing before her.

She smiled to him before bringing him in the center of the Great Hall for dancing under the hanging lights. They started to dance shyly but got closer and closer once they were comfortable with it. The young rider even allowed himself to have some inappropriate positions with her. He was holding her waist more than with just a lovely grip, even dared going down with his hands on her butt. It was again a sort of little game between them which they loved to play. They continued teasing each other like this the all evening. And it was so good that when they were talking with the gang, Hiccup put an arm around Astrid who leaned her head against his shoulder without stopping listening to their friends. However, he held her more tightly in a way that they could be even more close, even couldn't get any closer. The blond-haired girl appreciated it and let him know by hugging him against her. They looked at each other more than just with love and it was this precise moment that they forget they had an audience. They were ready to kiss but they were suddenly interrupted:

"Just tell us if we are bothering you?" frowned Snotlout.

"This is incredible!" cut Tuffnut. "What's your problem with doing this every time in front of us?"

"Yeah, just get a room!" agreed Ruffnut.

"I was about to go to bed anyway. Hiccup, you walk me?"

"Sure."

So the two lovebirds left the group without adding anything.

"Am I dreaming, or did they really listen to what I just said?" Tuffnut asked, shocked.

"You have to believe that, sometimes, they listened to your advice," Heather noted.

Once outside, Hiccup cut Astrid in her action.

"Do you really want to go to bed?" he asked, a little confused.

"What do you think?" she replied with a gaze full of innuendo.

They finally arrived to her hut where they began to kiss lankily. Nevertheless, before entering her house, Hiccup couldn't hide his concern:

"But, you're sure my dad hasn't seen us leaving?"

She had a brief laugh.

"Don't worry, given the state he was, he is not likely to notice our absence…"

"What do you mean?"

"When we left, he was dancing and singing like mad with Gobber," she confessed without hiding her amusement.

They broke out laughing.

"Well, I think there's nothing between us now…" Hiccup announced before caressing her cheek to look at her straight in the eye.

They opened the door and Astrid started to kiss him passionately like she never did before. Hiccup showed surprise to Astrid's attitude who was definitely more undertaking than usual. She was indeed very insistent and he finally responded to her ardent kisses. They kissed till their head broke. Hiccup ended up shoving her against the wall, her cheeks between his hands. When they opened their eyes, they found themselves looking into brighter eyes than ever before. They felt excitement.

Astrid invited him to go up to her room but the boy didn't seem comfortable with the thought of entering into the young Hofferson's room. Nevertheless, he also knew that trying to win an argument with her was a pointless exercise. So he followed her up the stairs and they continued to kiss. Plunged in their languid kiss, Hiccup forget everything around him, including Astrid's bed wich was about two steps from him. So it was without paying attention that he tripped on it and made Astrid fall on her bed. He found himself on top of her, a bit embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't meant to…" the young boy sputtered.

The girl started to laugh, before pulling him closer to her.

"Kiss me," Astrid whispered.

So he kissed her strongly, providing all his love for her in this one and same kiss. He continued to kiss her with an equal intensity while letting his hands explored the curves of her body. Passing a hand under her top, he began to caress her back and her hair as he was kissing her on the mouth. The flame that animated these two was not going to fade away any time soon. He was increasingly looking for the proximity of her body and she did the same.

They finally stopped themself for a moment to catch their breath. Hiccup looked at Astrid right in the face like to find an approbation to what he was about to do. She gave him his answer. So he started removing her top and she helped him to take it out in a hurry without stopping kissing him. His gaze looked down to her chest adorned with her betrothal gift. By touching it, his fingers brushed his plump boobs. The young girl moved her head towards his to kiss him again. While pressing her lips against his, Hiccup grasped Astrid's breasts in his hands. He cut off their kiss and began to leave hot kisses on her cold skin. He went down her sides, kissing each part delicately. He wanted to kiss her everywhere. He wanted to know her body in its entirety.

Surrendering to Hiccup's caresses, Astrid could see that she had lost control. So she decided that it was her turn to enjoy her time. She raised his boyfriend's head and started to kiss him passionately, playing her tongue with his. The young girl took advantage of the young man's lack of attention to get her hand down to a very sensitive point of the boy. Feeling the effect she was having on him against her leg, and curious, she touched it with her free hand. Taken by surprise, Hiccup stopped kissing her, squealing. Astrid apologized but Hiccup reassured her:

"It's okay. You can keep going... I mean if you want to... Sorry, forget about what I just said... Hehe, it sounds weird…"

"No, simply sounds normal, Hiccup."

So she started to kiss him deeply. They stood up to find themselves facing each other while kissing tenderly. In turn, Astrid took off Hiccup's top. Her hand caressed his torso from top to bottom until she found what she was looking for. Her hand passed beneath his trousers and she touched the tip of his sex before going down and up. She realized pretty quickly this was what give him pleasure, so she continued while kissing. But Hiccup stopped her by grasping her wrist.

"Astrid…"

"Hum hum…"

She kissed him again, forcing him to let go so that she could loosen his pants' laces to free his erection. She continued her caresses while Hiccup was whispering her name between two whines. She went up faster and faster until her boyfriend moaned with pleasure and wet the sheets. So Astrid asked him if he was okay, a bit surprised about what just occurred. Hiccup burst into laughter. He responded her that everything was fine, taking her in his arms and he kissed her. Then, he looked at her in the eyes and asked with a gaze if he could remove her skirt. She acquiesced so he dropped it in one swift movement. He kissed her one more time and gradually moved down to her neck where he applied some feverish kisses. Astrid let him go, clutching him. Hiccup pursued and, curious, passed his hand on her crotch that he started to caress through the tissue. He ended up putting a hand under her pants, visibly looking for something. He finally found what he was searching and put a finger inside her. Astrid let out a little moan so Hiccup continued what he had started while kissing her neck.

"Hic… Hiccup…"

Their lips found each other while a second finger entered her. Hiccup started playing in her. He took a great delight in making her feel good. Astrid's body was soon flooded with spams, answering Hiccup's touching.

She let a cry come out. As she drew a breath, she sent a smile to Hiccup who responded with an embarrassed face. She knew all that was new to them but she didn't want him to worry. She caressed his cheek.

"Astrid… I…"

"Hiccup stop worrying... it was pretty good actually"

"It was?"

Astrid pressed him against her to kiss his forehead.

"Yeah. Really."

Hiccup raised up to close his trousers, still awkward. She also put her clothes back before taking his head between her hand to kiss him on the lips.

Hiccup responded to the kiss amorously. He caressed Astrid's cheek too.

"I don't want to leave you here but with what you said earlier, I need to go back to the Great Hall and see what's going on…"

"Hiccup, they're big enough to take care of themselves. You can sleep over here if you want to."

Hiccup hesitated for one moment.

"But what if…"

Astrid gave him the death look while pouting her lips.

"Oh nevermind, you're right, I worry too much."

"That means you're staying?" she asked, all excited.

"Are you sure you don't mind what others will think?"

"It doesn't matter. If we want to sleep together, we're totally within our rights," she smiled.

Hiccup smiled back and they lay down on the young girl's bed where they had to sleep tight due to its small size. Hiccup cuddled against Astrid's back and surrounded her belly with his left arm. Astrid put her hand on Hiccup's. He dropped a kiss on her ear before they fell asleep together.

When Hiccup woke up the following morning, that's an upset Astrid who welcomed him.

"Hiccup."

"Huh?"

"Look."

"What?"

Astrid stretched her neck to show what she was talking about to Hiccup. So he followed her finger and put his hand to his mouth when he saw the nasty red stain on her partner's neck.

"I did this?"

"You tell me."

"Wow I'm so sorry Astrid! I… does that hurt?"

The blond whispered.

"No."

"I'm real…"

"Hiccup, that's fine. You couldn't have known but how am I supposed to hide this now?"

Hiccup didn't know what respond on the spot, still displaying a sorry face. He started to think then he offered:

"Well, maybe you could remove your hair?"

"Removing them, it's no."

Hiccup looked at his girlfriend, wondering how to solve the problem. He suddenly had an idea:

"I could braid your hair on the mark' side?"

Astrid's face suddenly lighted up.

"Yeah, good idea!"

So Hiccup curled Astrid's hair so that it fell right down on the love bite in order to hide it. The result was perfect.

"There's nothing left."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

Astrid smiled.

"Thanks Hiccup," she said, kissing him on the cheek.

They hugged one last time before Hiccup went home. When he finally arrived at his hut, his dad was sitting next to the fireplace, holding ice on his forehead.

"Dad?"

"Ah Hiccup! It's you! Where have you been?"

"Yeah about last night…"

"Oh yeah tell me! Because I have no idea of what happened after my speech!"

"You mean you can't remember anything? Like nothing?"

"Absolutely nothing. I think you were right about the barrels of wine, Son!"

This remark made him smile.

"I suppose so, yes."

His dad smiled to him then and they burst out laughing.


End file.
